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Car Hire Extras
All suppliers on Car Hire .net are fully inclusive, this means you can in essence pick the car up without paying any additional fees or charges. Though this is the case with us, other providers may charge airport pick up fees or other at the desk costs so you should carefully check the terms and conditions before entering your payment.
As with any other fully inclusive car rental supplier there could be other charges depending on your circumstances and preferences so we have set them out below with alternatives and tips.
Car Hire Insurance
As with your car at home the vehicle may have an insurance excess which you will have to pay before the car rental company's insurance policy covers the rest. There are many industry names for these excess amounts with CDW (crash damage waiver) being one example. Basically they cover any damage to the vehicle as a result of an accident or any damage from a criminal act by a third party.
The amounts vary from company, location to the value of the car being rented. You can be sure though that is there is excess amounts then the car rental supplier has a host of insurances to eradicate or reduce them which you can purchase on a price per day. This has always been a source of income for the car hire company so they will be sure to offer them to you.
You have a number of choices available to you, you can purchase insurances locally which can be expensive, you can take a third party insurance (we off one through our booking process) that eliminates the excess amounts on a refundable basis or you can simply like may people do drive with the excess amounts intact.
Some car hire companies offer zero excess but subsidise this by implementing a full to empty fuel policy. The fuel cost is above the normal prices at the pumps and many customers never use the full tank of fuel meaning they can offset these gains against any insurance costs.
Fuel
As stated above there is many companies that offer a full to empty policy only offsetting the costs of having no excess amounts on the vehicles. This said many companies today including giants such as Europcar have different fuel options when picking up the car in certain locations.
You can choose the full to empty option and the cost will be given to you or you can choose the traditional full to full option. As many cars today have fantastic fuel economy (especially diesels) make sure the choice is right for your convinience and the amount you will be using the car. Take it from me, it is not a great feeling to be leaving car with half a tank of fuel that belongs to you with no refund available from the hire company.
Additional Drivers
Many companies give the first or more drivers free allowing you to add a spouse or friend at time of booking as long as they have their driving licence with them. You should check the terms and conditions at the time of booking if you need additional drivers. A slightly more expensive option on the booking process may work out to be a better all inclusive choice once you take into consideration the costs of additional driver requirements.
Child Seats
Child seats are hired by car rental companies but must be requested and confirmed before you turn up as they do not stock many at locations. They may not be the best on the market and of course they will most probably be used so take these into consideration. I would compare the cost of hiring a child seat against the costs and convenience of bringing my own. If you do want to request one form the supplier compare costs at the time of booking and contact the company after booking to get it confirmed supplying them with the age and weight of the user.
Age
Differing from country to country and supplier to supplier the age of the driver may incur additional costs. As a rule 21 is the age you can rent a car but "young driver surcharges" may apply and minimum age requirements may increase depending on the value and size of the vehicle so do check the terms and conditions.
Drivers over 70 years of age may also incur a daily charge and some companies may have a maximum age requirement. These daily charges are set due to the additional risk the age of the driver may bring in terms of insurance requirements and cost.
Winter Car Hire
The following are costs that could be incurred when hiring in a winter environment or a high altitude station. They could be mandatory or based on your requirements.
Ski Racks - If you hire an estate you may be able to fit the skis in the car but many winter sports enthusiasts request ski racks at the time of booking. They are charged on a daily rate and you should book early as the suppliers do not have an inexhaustable amount in reserve.
Winterization or High Altitude Fees - Many suppliers in colder climates and high altitude locations charge a winter fee which is a charge based on the requirements of the vehicle being used in snow and extreme cold environments. They say this is for special snow tyres and engine maintenance so please check at the time of booking to see what is included.
Snow Chains - These again may be included in a winter daily charge as above or available as an additional request. First do your research and find out if you really need them and then if you do check costs at the time of booking and then get the request in quickly ensuring the car hire supplier confirms the request on your voucher.
